Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3) (19 page)

What had she been doing with him? She
wondered for the thousandth time. How had she gotten trapped within
such an unhappy relationship and convinced herself that it was
good? Her parents were incredibly loving, they rarely fought, had a
happy marriage, and her father was one of the most attentive men
she'd ever encountered. But somehow she'd ended up with a
manipulative, cruel, unfaithful, and clearly unstable ass that was
still trying to ruin her life.

"I suppose they don't," she murmured as she
ran her hands over the front of the dress.

"Nope, they don't," Jill agreed.

Emma stepped in front of the mirror; she
pulled her hair back and twisted it into a loose knot that she
rested against the nape of her neck. Jill walked over and began to
sort through her earrings on the dresser. "Wear these," she said
and held up two dangling butterflies that were interwoven with the
colors of green, purple, and blue. They matched the dress perfectly
and Emma smiled as she took them from Jill's hand.

"Perfect," she agreed.

A knock on the door brought all of their
heads up. "I'll get it, finish getting ready," Jill said and fairly
bounced out of the room.

"Where are you going tonight?" Mandy
inquired.

"I don't know, Ethan just told me to wear
this dress, and that it was a surprise."

"Sounds like it might be fancy," Mandy
teased.

Emma enjoyed the feel of the earrings
dangling from her ears as she shook her head at her friend. "Let's
hope it's not too fancy."

Jill appeared in the doorway again, she was
fanning herself with her hand as she walked into the room. "He is
so
hot
," she whispered. "From the
look of that man I don't think you're going to make it to dinner
tonight."

"Jill..." Mandy started.

"No seriously, I almost jumped him when he
walked through the door."

Emma released a snort of laughter that she
tried to stifle, but Mandy and Jill's laughter did nothing to help
her hold back. "There's something wrong with you," she told Jill as
she slipped her feet into her sandals.

"With me? There's something wrong with you if
you make it past the salad," Jill retorted. "Public place or
not."

Great, just what she needed, to be tempted by
him in a public place again. She'd been able to turn him away last
time, but now she knew what it was like to have him on top of her,
inside of her... Ugh, even now her mind was wandering down
treacherous pathways and her body was beginning to heat.

Emma had to wipe her suddenly damp hands on a
towel and take a steadying breath. She was incredibly curious to
see what it was that had made Jill so enthusiastic about his
appearance. Mandy climbed to her feet and looped her arm through
Emma's. "Now let's go, I have got to see what has Jill practically
drooling like a bull dog."

"Oh you'll be drooling too, believe me," Jill
replied and led the way out the door.

Emma followed after them and had to keep her
jaw from dropping when she spotted Ethan standing by the door. His
hair had been brushed back to reveal the broad planes of his face.
The black shirt he wore hugged the muscles of his chest; the
sleeves were close fitting around his biceps that flexed as he
adjusted his position. His black slacks hugged an ass that she'd
held in her hands before, she knew just how firm it was, and yet
she was certain those pants had been designed specifically to make
it look even tighter. His emerald eyes raked her with a hungry
gleam that made her want to retreat to her room with him right then
and there.

"You look beautiful," he told her as he
strode toward her.

Was she supposed to speak? Apparently she was
as Mandy nudged her in the back. "Thank you," she managed to get
out.

He held his arm out to her and she took hold
of it. "Hope you don't mind walking, it's not far."

"Not at all," she assured him with a
smile.

She glanced back at Jill and Mandy only to
find them both fanning themselves. 'Told you so,' Jill mouthed and
they both bit on their bottom lips to keep from laughing out
loud.

Emma had to agree with them as she closed the
door behind her. Keeping hold of his arm, she leaned against his
side as they walked up the hill. "Where are we going?" she
inquired.

"Patience," he told her.

They were still a couple hundred feet from
his house when she realized that's where they were heading. "Are we
meeting Isabelle and Stefan?"

"No."

The fact that he didn't elaborate on his
answer piqued her curiosity even more as he stopped outside the
door to his house and unlocked it. He made an elegant sweeping
gesture with his arm for her to enter first. A giggle escaped her,
something she couldn't remember doing in years, as she stepped into
the foyer and waited for him to close the door. He locked the door,
took hold of her arm and led her across the beautiful living
room.

She frowned at him as he stopped her before
the French doors that led to the pool area and pushed the doors
open. Her hand flew to her mouth as she spotted the two-person
table set up on the patio with a single white candle in the middle
of the red tablecloth. Beyond the table and patio walls, the ocean
and setting sun provided the perfect backdrop for a dinner scene
she only thought existed in romance novels or movies.

A lump formed in her throat as she turned her
head to look up at him. He may not have known what he was doing
when he'd set up this table, or maybe he had, but in that moment
she knew that he had completely stolen her heart. The smile he gave
her didn't help any and it was taking everything she had not to
start crying with joy.

She only had two weeks left on the island;
she hadn't even
known
him for two
weeks. She shouldn't be feeling like this so early in the
relationship but she'd never felt like this about
anyone
before, and she knew that she never would
again. This was a once in a lifetime experience and it was
hers
. It seemed too good to be true
and though she was terrified of what would happen in two weeks, she
was going to enjoy every second of the rest of the time they had
together.

The amount of emotion in Emma's eyes robbed
him of his breath. The setting sun shimmered in her hair and caused
her hazel eyes to turn the color of cat's eyes. Watching her, he no
longer had any doubt about what she was to him, what she meant to
him, and that he wanted nothing more than to have her by his side
for an eternity.

He just wasn't sure that she would still be
standing next to him if she knew half the thoughts that were
running through his mind. And just how was he supposed to break the
news to her? His mother had almost left his father, and they had
been dating for a good month longer than he had been seeing Emma.
He wouldn't blame her if she went screaming into the night and
never looked back, but tonight wasn't the night to dwell on
that.

Tonight was just for them, and hopefully a
good way to help her forget about her asshole ex-boyfriend, who was
already as good as dead in his mind.

"This is amazing," Emma whispered. He smiled
at her as he took hold of her elbow and walked her over to the
table. Pulling out a chair, he waited for her to sit before pushing
it in. The heat of his body burned into hers as he leaned forward
to light the candle before her.

"I thought a light salad and some chicken
would be good," he told her.

"You cooked?"

He chuckled as he bent to kiss her cheek.
"There are some things that even
I
can't do. I am really good at ordering out though."

"So am I," she told him as she unfolded the
napkin and placed it in her lap. He went back inside and came out
with two small bowls of salad. "Where are Isabelle and Stefan?"

"Stefan was kind enough to pack my sister up
and take her over to St. George's for the night," he answered.
"They won't be back until tomorrow night."

Warmth spread through her, the beat of her
heart picked up as excitement trickled through her. She'd been
hungry before they sat down but she found her appetite vanishing at
the realization that they had this whole place to themselves.
Lifting the fork, she forced herself to take a bite of the crisp
salad sprinkled with fruit, nuts, and cheese.

They became so engrossed in conversation that
she didn't realize that she was done with her salad until he took
the bowl away and brought out two plates of chicken. "This is
delicious," she told him.

"I'll be sure to pass your appreciation on,"
he told her as he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands
behind his head. He enjoyed watching the rise and fall of her chest
against the bodice of her dress. The swell of her breasts was
barely visible above the neckline but even still he longed to run
his fingers over the bared flesh, to feel it beneath him, and to
run his tongue over it. He was getting an erection just thinking
about it as she ate.

His eyes were almost predatory as he watched
her finish off the last of her dinner. She was finding it difficult
to breathe as she placed her fork down and folded her hands in her
lap. "Would you like some dessert?" he inquired.

Before she could think a single word popped
out of her mouth, "You."

She'd never been so brazen before in her life
but there was something about this man that made her completely
forget any inhibition she'd ever had. His eyes darkened, his
nostrils flared as he rose swiftly from his chair. Emma was
uncertain of his intentions as she watched his lithe movements; he
grabbed their plates and returned to the house with them.
Excitement pulsed through her; her throat was dry as she waited for
him to come back.

If she hadn't seen him reemerge from inside,
she never would have known he was there as he glided silently over
to her. He pulled her chair back and held his hand out to her. Emma
slid her hand into his and allowed him to help her to her feet.
Leaning over he blew out the candle before turning back to her.
"All you had to do was say so," he murmured.

Those words caused her heart to slam against
her chest as he took hold of the knot of hair resting against her
neck. His eyes burned into hers as his fingers nimbly pulled the
pins from her hair. His gaze was admiring as his fingers slid
through it and he let it tumble around her shoulders.

His hands slid over her bare shoulders and
down over her petite ribcage. He could feel and hear the rapid beat
of her pulse as it rushed through her veins. Both of them pricked
his appetite but not enough to douse the lust pulsing through him.
His dick was so fucking hard that he thought it might burst right
out of his pants if he didn't get them off soon but he intended to
go slow and savor in every inch of her body.

His hands slid over her thighs, as he began
to slide her dress upward to bare her lacy black panties, flat
stomach, and matching black strapless bra. Her arms rose up so that
he could tug the dress over her head. The color of the bra and
panties emphasized her creamy complexion and round curves. She
inhaled sharply when he began to trail a finger teasingly across
the top edge of her bra. Her hands came up to his chest when he
took a step closer to her and then another.

Grasping hold of her waist, he lifted her up
and placed her on the table. Emma couldn't tear her gaze away from
his as he planted his hands on either side of her and leaned
closer. She was already wet and aching for him to fill her but he
seemed determined to go slow and no matter how badly she wanted the
torment to end, she was enjoying every one of his caresses.

"Do you know what I want to do to you
tonight?" he inquired as he nibbled on her bottom lip.

"What?" she managed to get out.

"Everything."

His finger dipped down, it trailed leisurely
over her stomach to the edge of her underwear. She didn't know what
everything entailed, but just the thought of it made her want to
jump on him then and there. His gaze came back to hers; a smug
smile curved his lips as he pressed closer to her and took
possession of her mouth. The tempting pressure of his cock rubbing
against her through the layers of their clothing almost made her
scream and tear the pants clean off his beautiful body.

As she eased her hands down to his zipper, he
grabbed hold of them. "No," he said in a hoarse whisper against her
lips. "I'll be the only one doing any touching right now."

Frustration swelled through her but she
forgot about it as his mouth moved over her neck and down to her
collarbone. Her head tipped back, a small moan escaped her as he
unhooked the front clasp of her bra and freed her breasts. Warm air
flowed over her exposed flesh seconds before his mouth enclosed her
right nipple and he began to suckle her breast. A jolt ran through
her, her fingers dug into her thighs as she fought the overwhelming
urge to grab hold of him.

"Ethan!" she gasped when his mouth took hold
of her other nipple.

He seized hold of her hands when they jerked
in her lap and she instinctively went to touch him. Releasing her
breast, his emerald eyes came up to hers as his face hovered just
inches away from hers. "Don't make me tie you up," he murmured.

Her heart gave an excited lurch the likes of
which she'd never felt before. A thrill went through her and though
she'd never really thought about anything like that, she couldn't
help but become even more aroused by his words. A small smile
curved his mouth as he continued to study her. Emma knew exactly
how it felt to be hunted as his hands slid down her arms and his
fingers wrapped around her wrists.

"You would like that wouldn't you?" Emma was
fairly certain she no longer had a voice to respond with. He gently
clasped her hands behind her back with his right hand. The heat of
his body burned against hers as he pressed against her. He lifted
her bra with his left hand and held it before her before moving it
behind her back. The lacy material was soft against her skin as he
held it to her wrists. "Wouldn't you Emma?"